Dr. Martin Goldstein in his book "The Nature of Animal Healing" says that the diarrhea that comes with Parvo causes the outermost layers of the intestinal walls to be sloughed off allowing the dog to be exposed to rapid toxic uptake in the intestines. This is what actually kills the animal. To try to protect the dog from this, he recommends giving the dog Kaopectate, including Kaopectate enemas. He also gives the dog high doses of vitamin C through their IVs, up to 1 gram per pound of body weight. It is difficult to get the high amount of vitamin C into animals at home, but you should get as much liquid vitamin C as possible into the dog using a dropper. In terms of homeopathies, he administers Bleeding, to help stop the internal bleeding, as well as Diarrhea, Intestine and Inflamation. To help re-establish a healthy balance of intestinal bacteria, he gives slippery elm and lactobacillus acidophilus from either a fat-free yogurt or an additional supplement. He also recommends giving vitamin E to help prevent scarring of the heart and if there has been any liver involvement, he give milk thistle.

He does not mention it, but I would also think the Chinese herb Yunnan Paiyao would be helpful to stop the bleeding. This would also be a good time to use the emergency pill that comes with each bottle.

In his book "The Natural Health Bible for Dogs and Cats," Shawn Messonnier also talks about the importance of maintaining a healthy bacteria in the bowels of an animal. He recommends using Glutamine or L-glutamine.

"Glutamine plays a role in the health of the immune system, digestive tract, and muscle cells as well as other bodily functions. It appears to act as a fuel for the cells that line the intestines (it serves as a primary energy source for the mucosal cells that line the intestinal tract.) Because of the stress put on the cells lining the intestinal tract it is often recommended for pets with parvovirus. Many anti-epileptic drugs work by blocking glutamate stimulation of the brain, high doses of glutamine may overwhelm these drugs and pose a risk. If your pet is taking anti-seizure drugs glutamine should only be given with a vets supervision. Recommended dosages are 250 to 3,000 mg per day."

He also recommends giving Probiotics, 20 to 500 million micro-organisms, and Fructo-oligosaccharides, which helps to promotes thriving colonies of bacteria. When purchasing these items make sure the organisms are guaranteed of being alive at the time of purchase, not the time of manufacturing.

Dr. John Heinerman in "Natural Pet Cures" recommends an herbal tea.

"1 teaspoon of powdered elecampane root and ½ teaspoon of the flowers, leaves and stems of mixed mints, powdered ginger root, powdered Echinacea, and powdered black-willow bark. Cover with 2 cups of boiling water and let sit for 30 minutes. Strain. 3 CC should be given with a syringe down the throat. An hour later increased the amount given. Continued every hour until nighttime. By the next day the puppy will be drinking the solution on her own without force feeding it. The fever should be gone and there will no longer be any evidence of blood in the stool. The puppy should be kept off solid foods and give her the tea for 4 days, then gradually reintroduced to solid foods."

Martin Zucker prefers homeopathic remedies. In "The Veterinarian’s Guide to Natural Remedies for Dogs" he list 3 different homeopathic remedies and when each should be used.

* Arsenicum album – Give 30C potency twice a day if the animal is vomiting and having diarrhea
* Phosphorus – Give 30C potency twice a day if there is also blood in the stool
* Chine – Give 30C potency twice a day if animal has collapsed and is weak to the point where it can’t raise it’s head

These should be used in conjunction with administering fluids and should be used one at a time.

CJ Puotinen also recommends high doses of vitamin C. In "The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care" she talks about a Dr. C. Wendell Belfield who found that with Parvo he had to give 2 grams per pound of body weight of vitamin C in their IVs in order to have any effect for saving the puppies. That's twice as much as what Dr. Goldstein had advised. After 48 hours he also added a multimineral tablet and a protein concentrate to their IVs. He indicated that the puppies went home after 5 days.

Puotinen also had her own tea she recommended for dehydration.

"To combat dehydration brew a strong tea of sage leaves and barley or oats; pour 1 cup of boiling water over 1 tablespoon of dried sage or 3 tablespoons of fresh sage and I tablespoon barley or oats, let stand until cool and strain. To 1 tablespoon tea add 1 teaspoon raw honey, 1 teaspoon glucose or sugar, 1/8 teaspoon unrefined sea salt, 5 drops of grapefruit seed extract and 500 mg of liquid or powdered vitamin C complex. Give this combination every two to three hours.

Richard Pitcairn also recommends giving enemas to dogs to help with the dehydration. Use the same mixture listed above, warm to body temperature, test on your wrist to make sure it isn’t too warm. Raise the animal’s hindquarters and using a bulb syringe or an infant’s enema, slowly inject the liquid. Wait a few minutes before lowering the body so that the liquid is retained and absorbed."

Parvo is nothing to be messed with, however, it doesn't have to be a death sentence. Hopefully these 2 articles will give you enough information to help any dog you may have that contracts this powerful disease. Letters have come in from individuals from the first article saying they have used the colloidal silver method and it has been effective for them. Today's article will give you more information of things you should be aware of and methods to help any dog inflicted with this ailment.

The herbs you should be able to pick up at a local health food store. For the homeopathic remedies the link with each item will take you to a page where you an purchase the items discussed in case they are not at a local market. These are not things that you should wait to stock up on. If there is any chance that your dog may be exposed to the Parvo virus, get these things now so that you will have them on hand.

As always, the information given here is not intended to replace the advice given by your vet. It is intended to provide you with an education so that you can make an informed decision as to what is the best alternative for your companion.